ROCK'EM SOCK'EM ROBOTS [BIG OPEN FIGHT LOG]

[sufferist]

Who: Signless, Robots, and YOU
Where: City Hall, and all over downtown LA.
When: April 14th
What: Signless bates the Cybetronians into having a big fight in downtown LA while attempting to get a valuable artifact. Earth civilians and superheroes are SUPER WELCOME to notice the fuss and try to stop the fighting/safe people from collateral damage.
Warnings: SUDDENLY ROBOT ULTRAVIOLENCE

Signless leaves himself, and the hammer, visible at first. He wants them to see him, to know that the battle is imminent - and with any luck, a conflict will start. He'll do his best to disappear and keep them hunting for him as as long as possible after he's initially been spotted. Maximum collateral damage is his goal.

It also helps that he's an empath. He'll be taking whatever opportunities he can to agitate people's emotions, whether it be anger, panic, or fear, in the attempt to make ever more chaos.

This is a party style log, meaning you can make you own threads and scenarios. Signless will be around with the hammer. LET'S MAKE THIS AS BIG OF A CLUSTERFUCK AS POSSIBLE, GUYS.

Comments

THE SHITTY JET HAS ARRIVED

[starscheme]

[OPENER Option A (Closed to Arcee and Signless]

Despite his misgivings and attempts to convince Megatron that they will need to handle the situation differently, Starscream arrives on the scene first, as instructed.

He hovers far above the provided coordinates, steeling himself for what will come next... There is absolutely zero room for fuck-ups here, but there isn't exactly a subtle way to handle the situation either. He's going to have to expose his true form, one way or another (it's not like his jet mode has arms to grab the damn hammer with).

The unfortunate downside to his otherwise superior air based alt mode is that it is going to look pretty damn out of place swooping down to street level, which means attention is already going to be drawn to him even before he transforms.

He knows there's really no helping that though, so without (much) more hesitation, he streaks down towards the earth and transforms, landing in front of the troll, bristling with anger and tone urgent.

"You just can't seem to get enough of getting your greasy little mitts all over our technology, can you? Hand it over before this gets messy."

[OPTION B, OPEN to anyone else]

UNSURPRISINGLY (literally, just as he predicted), all hell has broken loose and there's a full on space robot war breaking out over downtown LA.

While the others are preoccupied with the forge though, Starscream has a different quarry in mind. He is so fucking done with this troll getting up in his shit. It's time for some payback.

He's zipping all over the area in both jet and robot mode, seeking (heh) this troll out in a single-minded frenzy, which leaves him wide open for some plucky super heroes and vigilantes to try and take him on.

B

[scribes]

Much like Starscream, Di has a single target in mind: Signless. Also similar to him, she is absolutely furious. Furious that he would pull a stunt like this to pit two factions against each other, and even more that he would so deliberately do it in a place that would get innocents hurt. On a more petty level, she was also so angry about his complete and utter absence the past week. He had said he would not return to her home, but she hadn't expected complete radio silence, leading her to panic and worry and fret and cry over the high possibility that he was dead again, considering what he was returning to.

Sleep had evaded her entirely these past days, and her appetite hadn't been much better but with the chaos around her and knowledge of what Signless had done she was more than energized. Di didn't know why exactly she was trying to find him in this chaos--what the hell would she do? Wring his neck? Yell at him? Hug him? Probably all three.

Di had his scent but her maneuverability was significantly less than his and so she was having difficulty trying to track him down. She was so intent on finding him that she wasn't paying as much attention to her surroundings as she probably should, so when she turned a corner she was shocked to find a very big, a very dangerous, and a very pissed off Cybertronian on her path.

LET'S GO MOTHERFUCKER

[deadpartners]

Arcee's made an attempt at being discreet on this planet, but with all this -- with the Alternian and the Forge and the Decepticons -- there's very little room for discretion left. Whatever she'd said to Legion, whatever she'd promised about keeping the local population out of the conflict -- this is getting bigger than that now. She didn't drag a priceless, unimaginably important artifact into the open for a feeding frenzy, and she knows the Decepticons aren't going to play nice. She wants to avoid a fight, but let's be real, she doesn't have high hopes for that at this point.

The squeal of tires cuts through the air as Arcee screeches to a halt at city hall, rapidly transforming before she's even stopped all the way. Her feet hit the ground running, optics blazing as they settle on the Forge, on Starscream -- on the Alternian. That's a face she's going to remember. But for now, she has way more pressing concerns.

"Not so fast, Starscream."

ROBOT PUNCHING

[chapterfiveversenine]

Starscream will shortly be on the receiving end of a jet-assisted, six-ton punch to the face, courtesy of Legion. Calibrating their own mass effect fields allows them to increase their weight by multiple standard deviations an instant before they make contact, increasing momentum while keeping speed high.

"We advised Megatron to restrain you," the platform intones flatly. "It is clear he failed."

ORION | OPEN TO ANYBODY

[thanksoptimus]

Orion was already in the downtown area when this started happening, and now he's trying his damndest to scout out the situation without revealing himself. He's in his truck mode, at least - not that a semi truck pulling up to city hall doesn't stick out on its own.

More so, his leg still gives him a pretty bad limp. He doesn't know how much good he'll be physically, if it comes down to it. The idea of having to face any of the other robots in an actual battle is more than a little daunting, but he told Arcee he would help and he intends to.

He'll just have to wait and see if he can spot anything.

[scribes]

So much for robots in disguise. Di had always been worried about the Cybertronians being found out, of them forcing Legion's hand but she hadn't expected things to get so unwieldly so shortly after the Alpha member had warned the bots. Just what was going on that they were engaging in combat, not only near the city but inside it?

After helping clear up in the area of bystanders, Di is making her way back into the fray to try and figure out what is going on and make sure no one was left behind. That's when she spots Orion's alt mode and quickly makes her way towards him, dropping down from the buildings.

"Orion! What's going on?"

[bigfuckinggun]

It's not too long after Starscream arrives and clashes with Arcee that Megatron shows up. He needed to sort out a few things before heading straight for the scene, and he's frustrated to find, on his arrival, that the situation does not seem to be panning out the way he had hoped. Starscream is busy tangling with Arcee, and Megatron can't tell where the hell the Alternian's got to. It's while he's trying to scan for him that Megatron spots someone else between the human structures – someone he definitely didn't expect to find here.

His optics narrow. (I am allowed to say that even though he's in vehicle mode because the top of his head pokes out of the top; awful.) For a moment he just hovers there. Then he descends, transforming as he lands directly in front of his target.

"Orion Pax," he says. "I had not expected the Autobots would force you to fight for them. Clearly I gave them too much credit."

[chapterfiveversenine]

"Orion Pax."

As Legion descends from the sky, they are already mapping out the battlefield, tracking each and every Cybertronian within range.

"You are the most neutral party in Cybertronian civil war," they say. "What do you know about the purpose of this operation?"

[buffedthat]

Really, Breakdown had been hoping to see Orion show up around here. He couldn't lay a finger on the guy while he was on their ship, but out here? He's definitely fair game.

Breakdown is still a ways away when he spots him, so he has enough time and room to cast a hasty glance around for Megatron. Megatron who might, for some reason, try to stop a fight — maybe. He's hard to predict. Either way, Breakdown doesn't want to take any chances, so he's happy to see the area is clear. Happy enough to go barreling straight toward Optimus in alt mode, blaster cannon out and already taking pot shots at him — which is sort of like ringing the doorbell before you get down to business, he figures. Polite.

OPEN

[scribes]

[Things aren't looking to good here for anyone. Di can only imagine that things are going to be worse here once Legion arrives. Getting rid of giant robots without causing any more collateral damage isn't exactly going to be easy.

She takes a moment to crouch atop a tall building, surveying the city to try and scope anyone who might have fallen behind when all the civilians began running away. Weaponless as she was there wouldn't be much she could do, and at this point with the combat having begun she didn't think trying to be diplomatic would achieve much, especially considering she didn't even know the basic facts of the situation.

Di did the only thing she could do, got people to safety even if she had to haul them, blubbering over her shoulders.]

[buffedthat]

Breakdown doesn't see Di — he doesn't really see much that isn't a giant robot or a car that looks like it might fold out into one, actually. He's hunkered down in his root mode, one fist clenched and the other cycled into a large hammer. This feels like just what he's been waiting for, a way to burn off some of this helpless, frustrated energy in a good old brawl. He doesn't even care what they're here for, honestly. All he needs is five minutes and an Autobot. He passes directly below Di's building, a grim smirk in place as he scans the area.

[pullingamiko]

This is not a good idea. To me more accurate, it's a horrible idea, but the moment Miko heard that there were giant robots fighting in front of city hall, well. Of course she headed over there right away.

So here she is now, with her phone in her hand and a mini notebook and pencil in her pocket, and there are definitely a bunch of giant robots fighting. She mostly stays to the edges of the area, taking pictures whenever possible, trying not to actually get into the middle of the fray because she really would rather not get stepped on, but she is absolutely way too close anyway.

Noticing that there are some people who seem to be trying to remove civilians from the area, she makes an effort to stay out of their sight as much as she can (though that's not to say that she's always going to be successful in that regard). Getting away from giant robot showdowns is perfectly fine for some people, but no way is Miko missing this.

[nitrodamus]

In her efforts to avoid being seen by heroes, she encounters someone else who is trying to do the same thing. Sollux spots her from behind, as they inadvertently tuck into the same hiding place.

"Hey, phone girl!" he says with his heavy accent, mostly amused but just a little bit tense. He hasn't seen her since scary jail.

[positiveenergy]

The fight’s getting out of hand. It’s chaos out here and Drift’s been hit. Hard. He’s leaking energon fast; from his leg, he thinks. But it’s hard to tell. The other autobots are scattered fighting cons and he can’t keep track of who’s where or who needs backup. The pain is nauseating but he can’t afford to stop for a rest.

A running start makes him stumble; falling to one knee. He sticks the tip of his sword into the ground and leans against it to keep from collapsing completely. With his head lowered, he finally notices human girl positioned near him. So much for keeping their presence on this planet a secret. But really, what could they expect after such a commotion?

“Hey you…what’re you hanging around here for? Not trying to get stepped on, are you?”

[worstprime]

Rodimus shows up fashionably late to a scene that is nothing short of chaotic. He skids to a halt in his alt mode, dismayed by the sight. He'd thought he'd gotten here fairly fast but already things are looking messy. There are people everywhere. There's no way they're going to be able to handle this discreetly. Confirming this, he can see Arcee in the distance, decidedly NOT In alt-mode, and...Starscream? Every Cybertronian who 'd been in the war for more than a meta-cycle would recognise those legs.
Scrap, even the 'cons had gotten here first.

Rodimus transforms into robot mode, all flimsy-pretext-of-caution to the wind. It'll be easier to avoid humans this way anyhow.

Despite all the goings ons Rodimus still finds a moment, as he makes way toward the action, to smugly think to himself about the irony of Arcee being first to break cover on Earth.

[worstprime]

Rodimus doesn't know who or exactly what he's looking at when he sees the mysterious figure peace out, but he does recognise the Forge. And in that brief moment while Arcee is distracted, it looks like no one's going after it. Rodimus has already decided that it's probably for the best to avoid getting into any serious fights today, both for his own sake and the numerous civilians and locals scattered around the area. But that doesn't mean he can't do anything, and making sure this joker doesn't slip away with the hammer, seems like a good starting point.

He transforms back into his alt-mode as soon as he gets into a clear patch, engine revving as he heads after the mysterious Alternian, blowing past Humans and Cybertronians alike. It's difficult to get to top speed with all the humans around (and their streets aren't actually particularly conductive to going fast either) but he does his best to at least keep his target in sight.

[buffedthat]

He's not sure who he's looking at, but he knows it's an Autobot. So, really, does it matter? Breakdown is here for a fight, he doesn't care who it's with. There's a smirk in place as he transforms his right hand into a hammer preemptively, folds out the shoulder-mounted blaster, and fires off a shot at Rodimus.

"Came to the wrong neighborhood, 'Bot!" he calls, because the battle taunts are just obligatory.

open

[superiormind]

[If a robot destroys her business, she's going to make somebody pay for it. That's Moriarty's first thought on all this, anger rising hard enough that it's difficult to keep it off her face. But she's an excellent actress, and before she gets to the area to see what's going on, Irene Adler is fixed to be all people can see, concerned and more than a little scared.

Her priority one is keeping herself intact and safe. But if she sees somebody who needs a little help getting to safety, or worse yet, someone familiar in trouble -- well, Irene's not a total coward and not completely selfish, either. Robots or not, she can't risk talk of some out-of-character self-centeredness, just in case anyone notices.

She won't be getting involved in the main fight, though. You couldn't pay her enough to go in there without proper preparations or guards, and Irene isn't the type to go rushing into something so above her abilities either.]

Re: open

[goldpaw]

[She's fortunate enough to be presented with an easy opportunity, in the form of a struggling celebrity – one of the rampaging robots stepped on the hood of her car, and in her attempt to extricate herself and get to safety Vanessa has been injured by shrapnel. Frustrated and for once rather frightened, without any means to summon assistance, she's limping along the sidewalk, trying to stay out of the way of the fighting.]

[definitely a convenient chance for someone invested in maintaining a certain reputation – helping her out of the battle zone should be low-risk, and indeed, Vanessa Goldpaw is enough a well-known figure that the fact that Irene did help anyone at all would definitely get around...]

OPEN

[bigfuckinggun]

To say that his encounter with Orion Pax has thrown Megatron off somewhat is sort of an understatement. The Decepticon leader is furious enough that it's throwing him off in his attempts to scan for the Alternian – or the Forge; whichever he finds first. Eventually his frustration is such that he lands and transforms – at a relatively quiet intersection, at least, but with his optics flashing a ferocious red and his claws clenched into fists, he doesn't look like someone who isn't about to cause some trouble...

[chapterfiveversenine]

There is a significant advantage to fighting Cybertronians, and it is that larger targets generally have larger eyes. Legion's punch weighs nearly six tons and is delivered at sixty miles per hour directly into Megatron's right optic. The consensus is every bit as fed up with Cybertronians as Megatron is gay for Orion Pax, and the leader of one major faction is right there.

"You informed us you would remain out of civilian population centers," Legion states. "You have violated this promise; you will now be considered a criminal until you have stood trial and accounted for your crimes."

[ultramatum]

Ultra Magnus was delayed getting to the city center, and was only just now nearing the area around the city hall. He had sent a hurried notice to CONDOR apologizing for the Autobot's eminent transgression on their agreement to remain outside of civilian sites before following the other Autobots. He was hindered, however, by the limited speed of his alt mode and the increase in traffic near the city, as people either attempted to evacuate the area or stopped to watch. It had taken quite a bit of shouting to finally get people to part the roads enough. It would have much easier to go on foot, but he didn't realize Arcee had already broken cover confronting Starscream.

As it was, he was currently waiting for someone to move their vehicle so he could continue, engine rumbling in irritation at the delay.

[closed to Signless]

[scribes]

Finding and reaching for Signless had been a bigger ordeal than she had anticipated. Whenever she caught sight of him something distracted her, be it a person in need or a Cybertronian. This time the road lay clear, and truthfully, it was probably a good thing that she had taken so long to get to him. It had allowed her anger to simmer down and while she was still frustrated she didn't want to be dominated by her emotions when she faced him.

The olive troll could see him there, at the top of the City Hall building. A little more difficult to get to but she managed.

By this point, after all the running, jumping, rescuing and holding off Cybertronians nearly thrice her side Di was exhausted but she pushed through and reached the top of the building on the opposite side from Signless. She gave herself a moment to breath and steady herself, both physically and emotionally.

This was not something she had expected him to do. Killing? That had been hard enough for her to swallow, but she didn't doubt the words he spoke to her. Yet here he was involving people who had nothing to do with the conflict between the Empire and the Sufferists.

"Signless!"

[sufferist]

His reaction is perhaps not what she would have been expecting.

His first response is to just snarl furiously and raise his scythe in an aggressive stance. There is no conflict in his eyes this time - he's threatened and apparently fully willing to deal with it.

"Do not challenge me," he growls.

[starscheme]

It takes what feels like hours, and more than a few detours involving getting punched in the face by various super heroes, but Starscream finally finds what he's looking for.

The screech of jets splits the air overhead, and shortly after Starscream lands with a thud in front of Signless, prepared to throw down.

"You know for someone who lectures against violence, you certainly seem to like inciting it quite a bit."

[sufferist]

Signless takes a step back as the jet lands in front of him, scowling. He's got his scythe ready at hand, the red blade glowing, and the hammer suspended in a sheath of psionic energy. He doesn't look off put at being found - just ready to fight.

"Took you long enough," he growls.

AFTER THE FIGHT

[thanksoptimus]

Orion could not have been more eager to get out of the city, not that he is pleased with the circumstances. Arcee is in considerably bad condition, and in their rush to escape, traffic has gone from an annoyance to a full blown hazard. For the first time he's worried about what Earth's native population might do to them - worried that they might blame Arcee for this somehow, and try to take her from him.

He drives far more aggressively than he ever has before while ferrying her out, his horn blaring a good few times. They'd lost this one, in more ways than one.

He can relax ever so slightly once they reach the desert, but not much. He doesn't see any of the human law enforcement following them anymore, but he's even more assured of how useless in battle he is than he was before, and he's not yet sure what has become of the other Autobots. There was so much chaos that he lost track of nearly everyone.

They're the first ones to get back to the Rod Pod, and he leaves of trail of dust in the air as he skids to a stop in front of it. One of his arms is still no good for carrying much weight, but he manages to pull one of those transformations where the passenger ends up supported in his arm. He rushes her inside of the pod without a word.

[deadpartners]

Arcee knows that as the leader of the Autobots, not just on this front but in the whole war, she can't afford to show any fatalism in front of the rest of the troops. It's her job to keep trudging on when things start to look hopeless, to keep her chin up even if she's just going through the motions, but right now...

Right now, it's hard not to feel like they've lost.

Her optics are dim as Orion hurries her into the Rod Pod, flickering faintly, lying limply in her grasp. The fight with Megatron had ended disastrously, leaving her battered and dented and spilling energon -- but what had she expected? She hadn't ever been a match for Megatron, couldn't have hoped to be. Only Optimus could have managed to come out the better in a fight like that. But then, maybe that's the problem.

Megatron has the Matrix, she knows -- and now he has the Forge, too. And she's not the only one injured, either. She knows they can't afford to give up now, but Arcee doesn't know how they're going to come back from this. They don't have a medic -- they barely have a team -- she doesn't know how she's supposed to lead anyone in this condition. She clenches her jaw as Orion's grasp on her shifts, closing a hand weakly over Orion's broad arm. "Orion," she manages, her vocalizer weak and flanging.

Closed to Airachnid

[positiveenergy]

Things aren’t off to a good start with all the Autobots scattered – each of them coming together from different points across the city. When Drift arrives, a fight’s already broken out and a sense of turmoil seems to be amassing in the surrounding area. It’s hard for him to get a clear visual on the combatants when he’s in alt. mode, but it’s plain as day that they’ve blown their cover. Humans had already begun to take notice of the fight and were scraping to get as far away as possible.

Favoring speed and caution, Drift remains in his vehicle mode as he moves forward towards the skirmish. This proves easier said than done as he tries to weave his way through the crowds, eager to reach his comrades.

[airachnoid]

Having managed to scan an Earth alt mode, Airachnid flies towards the combat, which she spotted through her holomatter avatar. She keeps an eye out for any indication of the hammer or the Alternian. She received his transmission, like the others clearly did, but she missed her opportunity to gather more information from him. She knows, though, that possessing the Forge would be a massive advantage in her relations with the other Cybertronians. Their presence on Earth will prove to be a significant obstacle in the completion of her objectives, but if she could only convince them to leave...

As Airachnid moves over the city, she spots something odd: a vehicle, in the midst of a crowd of escaping humans, moving toward the fighting. There certainly exist reckless humans, but, from where she's looking, there almost seems to be a sense of urgency in the vehicle's driving. Interesting.

She follows the vehicle until they're both almost at the fight scene, then she descends and transforms, blocking the vehicle's path. If it backs off like it would if it had a human driver, she can go on her merry way to snatch the Forge. If it turns out to be a Cybertronian – well, she didn't intend on doing much fighting, but she has to exercise her joints at some point, right?